7 ways to diagnose industrial performance
7 ways to diagnose industrial performance
As a manufacturer, you certainly want to be able to diagnose industrial performance in order to increase productivity, reduce costs and maximize profits. These objectives can be achieved if you are able to increase the efficiency of your plant.
As a result, many manufacturers believe that increasing efficiency means cutting costs as much as possible, which in turn contributes to lower product quality. Nevertheless, there are simple and harmless ways you can improve the efficiency of your manufacturing floor without sacrificing product quality.
1. Evaluate your current workflow
You'll find it hard to identify areas for improvement in your manufacturing process without examining your current workflow. So you can review the following three important areas to determine what changes are needed in your workflow:
The workforce
Here are a few things to consider about your employees' current performance:
- Do they have the right skills to carry out the tasks they are currently working on?
- Have they succeeded in achieving their objectives?
- How much time do they spend on certain jobs?
- Is it possible to speed up completion time?
The process
First of all, you need to know whether your production steps are going according to plan. More importantly, find out where the weak points and bottlenecks are.
Indeed, before making any changes to your workflow; you must first develop a hypothesis; then compare the results with your previous assumptions and conditions. This will give you a clear perspective on the changes you need to make.
Equipment and technologies
Review all the equipment and technologies you currently use. Is all the equipment working properly? Is the technology you're relying on optimal for your current business needs? Is it easy to make changes in production?
2. Invest in employee training
Employee training is an ongoing process. In some industries, certain types of training are mandatory, such as daily safety training for all personnel using safety equipment.
Indeed, you need to train your employees in new equipment and technologies to get the most out of them. Employee training is also an excellent retention tactic, because every employee wants the opportunity to develop his or her skills.
So don't limit training and education to equipment and technology. Your manufacturing business process will run more smoothly if everyone can understand company policies and the right way to communicate with each other.
3. Update your equipment
No matter how good your employees are; if the equipment supplied in your manufacturing plant is obsolete or even no longer works properly; it will be difficult to improve efficiency.
So make sure you're ready to invest in modern equipment so that the production process can run more smoothly. Indeed, state-of-the-art equipment also helps you reduce damage repair costs and increase employee productivity.
4. Perform preventive maintenance
Even if you've decided to buy the latest machines, that doesn't mean you should throw out the old ones. Some equipment can still be used for a longer period if treated correctly. So new equipment also needs to be maintained so that it can be used to the full.
And as you already know, maintaining a piece of equipment costs a lot less than replacing one. So don't wait until it's damaged. Perform regular preventive maintenance, depending on the type of equipment. Consider using asset management software to help you record the condition of your equipment and automate maintenance planning.
5. Keep your factory organized
Organization is the key to an efficient workspace. Pay attention to your plant; the layout; spaces for workers and heavy equipment to enter and exit; and how each area is used.
A few points to check:
- Are all hand tools easy to find?
- Can staff easily retrieve all raw materials or finished products?
- Is the packing and shipping area close to where the finished products are placed?
- Can forklifts move easily around your manufacturing plant?
6. Reduce waste
One of the biggest and most expensive wastes from factories is material waste.
Here are a few ways to reduce it:
- Use less material when packaging your products
- Recycle, or if you can't do it yourself, sell the leftovers to a recycling center.
- Use all available materials to create new products
7. Automate your supply chain management
There's no easier way to improve efficiency than to automate your business processes. Supply chain management is one of the most important segments of the manufacturing industry. However, if the process is still carried out manually, optimized efficiency will be difficult to achieve.
Indeed, with sophisticated supply chain management software, you can automate a variety of processes; from tracking inventory across multiple plants, configuring stock levels, ordering raw materials from suppliers and shipping orders to customers.
Follow our articles to better diagnose your plant's industrial performance
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